Imaging chip

Short for "charge-coupled device," a CCD chip is a light-sensitive electronic detector used in making astronomical images. Sensitive over a wide range of wavelengths, and much more efficient than film in gathering light, CCDs are often used to image extremely faint objects.

A/D conversion

The Analog to Digital Converter (A/D Converter) transfers the raw analog signal captured by the camera to a digital value. The digital value is sent to the computer in ADUs (Analog to Digital Units). The A/D Converter also determines the bit resolution of the analog to digital conversion. The more bit resolution the A/D Converter has, the greater the range of ADUs, which yields a better range of image contrast from the camera. (If "X" equals the bit resolution of the A/D Converter, then 2expX = total range of ADUs.) For example, many commercial digital cameras use a 12-bit A/D Converter which has 4,096 ADUs, and high-end astronomical CCD cameras typically use a 16-bit A/D Converter which has 65,536 ADUs.

Thermoelectric cooling

A thermoelectric cooler draws heat away from the chip, which lowers the overall electronic "noise" in the resulting image. For every 6º drop in temperature, the dark noise in the image is reduced by half.

IR filter

CCD cameras are very sensitive to a wide range of wavelengths, including farther out into the infra-red spectrum than we can see by eye. Normally this is never a problem when looking through the telescope, but a sensitive CCD camera will see this slightly out of focus region of the spectrum, resulting in fatter stars than normal. An IR filter will cut out this region of the spectrum leaving tightly focused stars and a better overall image.

Warranty

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One year

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